Are You a Brick or a Stone, Part 3

Greetings friends and new listeners. Welcome to the sound of faith. I'm sure not thanking you for tuning today because we know faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. I believe you will be intrigued by today's message. Are you a brick or a stone.

When I asked this question of Christians I know in preparation for preaching this message. I was surprised by how many said brick sounds reasonable. I guess since bricks are used to build strong buildings, but find out what God says about it in. Are you a brick or a stone. How many know that's the spirit of the age.

It's a spirit of godlessness and it's the spirit of self-promotion. Amen.

It's the spirit of self-promotion. My God, I don't know every 10 years.

They name the decade I guess. I think the auditing this one. The age of the selfie play. You have ever seen so people take themselves is that we really your picture 20. Sorry, but it just amazes me coming on, healthy, celebrity honest-to-goodness last night on one of the news channels and she actually said and she said it so nonchalantly because to her that it was perfectly respectable. She said I am self possessed – she was beautiful, very beautiful and I forgot what what she did but anyway she was very beautiful and she says I am self possessed so another words that makes it okay for her to take endless selfies of herself and plaster them all over social media for everybody and that's fine and we got all these young girls coming out and that's what they see that the spirit of the agents out there. Amen.

And that's all there is.

I even see it.

Honestly, I received an little ones little girls three and four years old.

You will see pictures of them not want her to say no that's really cute she's cute okay out and she really is cute yes she's cute okay is about the 10th picture today.

How may times. Mother said she and the little girl she killed from an associate which is in and I don't think I'm thinking my God, what is she going to be like. But at times he's 13. Does this child ever get dirty or just play, just play something and get dirty. I don't know but we're living in the age of the selfie and so you got to be careful that you do not let the world make you one of its bricks. God said he made you to be a living stone lay brick and that's what we've got to be on guard against what we gotta fight against and I know you know the Scriptures and not going to say him anyway. Romans the 12th chapter verse one into this stage you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a what by me is the God which is your reasonable service. And be not con to this world but be smart by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God because it is obvious that you and I only think of that word mean a very strong plea on pleading with you but I took the time instead of assuming that that's what it meant because most the time. That is what it means. I took the time to read this it a look this up in Greek and when asked, Ms. read these verses in Greek. I saw words that I beseech you, is the Greek word Tara Coleco Harold Neo that sound familiar. Does that sound like Paraclete. This Paraclete is what the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit is the Paraclete. The word Tara means alongside anything para is alongside and cleat disses to call so Paraclete disses to call alongside and that's what we see in the book of John, the English says comforter when the comforter is come, and of course what is he do. He comes alongside you to comfort you. He comes alongside you to anoint you to support you to help you plan to help you intercede as were told later in Romans the eighth chapter, but that's that is the Holy Spirit comforter. Coleco is right here beseech you, brethren, by the mercies of God, you know what that says to me the apostle is why you only yours and when you begin to draw away to begin Mormon here for the world and you begin to get more in front of the television or more social media and the worldly parts of it. The Holy Spirit on the big deal with you what, be careful that you're not being conformed and you know what that word conformed me it means to put something in a mold put something in a mold and that's how they make bricks, how many know how they make bricks they got big molds and they put that in there and get it in the shape it's like cement like you were poor sidewalk. What you have to do. You can't just go out there.

Poor bunch of cement on the ground and is going to be a nice sidewalk.

Somebody's got to get out there and put them on their so that when you pour the submission. He won't go beyond the mold and when it dries, you take that would off you got a perfectly straight nice sidewalk.

How many of you moms and maybe some of you young kids ever make Jell-O in a mold. You just pour the liquid in the mold might veto it might be a fish. It might be the shape of a heart and you pour the liquid in their and you just mold and it's exited congealed gels in the new target over, and there is it's the perfect shape are that's what this word means don't let the world put you in its mold. Amen.

Present your bodies a living sacrifice, and you know this word here works as I beseech you, it also has a military definition to it. That word was used, to give the troops who were getting ready to go into battle to give them their their pep talk amen about the dangers that they were there were about to face present your bodies a living sacrifice saints. We are living stones. We are not worldly breaks.

Amen. Present means you lay it down on the altar. You pull your body as a living sacrifice. Don't you see Andy talk to the sacrifices of the cows in the Jeep that they brought into the house of God. Not that we know that anymore. What you want your body I want your body sacrifice, like somebody holding back six not being conformed to this world. Amen a living sacrifice, and you know saints sometimes we in the spirit if we could look in the spirit we look around the house of God. We see missing stones don't really a lot of times we see missing stones people that God has raised up to be a living stone, but they're missing and how many know if you if you if you're not something that I'm stoning and one stone falls out the whole thing is not going to collapse it be all right, and you can be okay with a couple missing stones one here one day or whatever. But if you start getting a lot of missing stones. Amen.

Especially if they're all together in the same area you got a lot of missing stones in the Sunday school department. Maybe the Sunday school departments 10 collapse. You got missing stones upon the choir appears are supposed to be living stones, offering up a holy sacrifice Psalms and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in the Lord in your heart sing your heart amen but they began to get slack you got missing stones got missing stones here missing stones. There and sometimes you can tell when they go to sing a song and they don't have enough surprises. They hit the high notes missing stones. They don't have enough amended parts you got missing stones.

Sometimes I gotta get a few toes to help the man because there's too many missing stones or whatever the case may be missing stones that things are going to begin to not only got to be a living stone you got your sacrifice your place in the temple of God, the place where your stone fits and if everyone will be in their place. Then we have a temple of God, and he says I'm telling you that this is your reasonable service. Reasonable service. Reasonable reasonable. What does that mean reasonable you know we want to say well it's it's only fair. It's only what we should do in light of what God is done for us only reasonable that we should do that for him. Sometimes we think that way to say that's a long way to think it, but that's not what it means. It means with intelligent consecration.

Another words you of your own volition with understanding you make an intelligent consecration to God.

You say God I'm a living stone, you say Lord here I am, I surrender all to you.

I am devoted to your service. Where do I fit in your temple. Where do you want me to be. I realize I gotta count the cost. Jesus said if a man tries to build the building and he doesn't sit down first and figure what supplies you need and how much it's going to cost me my get partway through and run out of money and just leave it like it is. He says don't even start until you count the cost, but God is saying. What is your reasonable service sit down with an intelligent consecration say Lord here and I if I say I'm going to be on the choir going to be on the choir. If I say I'm helping the Sunday school department. I'm going to do it. I tell them I'm going on straight meeting going on straight meeting. I'm going to the jail. I'm going to the rehab.

I'm just going to be here in the body.

I'm going to be stone and a present stone on the present I may know Crystal when they called her name is present what God is calling you tonight night anyone. Amen. Because he's called us to be living stones in this building of God. So you have to make a choice. You gotta think about it. If you are building for the temporary pleasures of this world and worldly gain. Use bricks if that's what your goal is for this life.

Use bricks but if you are building for eternal treasures you need to use stones. Amen. You need that which has been wrought by the hand of God and not the hand of man. If you're building a holy habitation on the him then you gotta use holy stones.

Amen. Don't be conformed to this world. I told you it means to form or mold something.

To what pattern the actual Greek word from it. We get our English word schematic humming is what is schematic is especially if you buy something you gotta put together you now you get the bright idea to buy that child that that certain toy or you can buy that swing for your wife and put it together out on the porch and you don't empty that box out in his 50,000 pieces screws in knots, and who knows what and you're all over the place and they give you this piece of paper and they say figure 125 figure 299 and got arrows pointing to some little screw and you're supposed to do all that put the schematic and it gets really hairy when you get into electronics.

Amen. That's the word that's here that is the very word that we get our English word schematic. Amen.

That's the work that's being used that God has called us to be that we are to don't be conformed to this world. That's what the work conformed is don't let the devil put you together according to the world, schematics can tell Intel you can tell me outside what's going on in the inside. Just look at the outside pallets put together what's coming on the mouth is the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks and you'll know who schematic it is, whether the Holy Spirit schematic or whether it's the world schematic. Amen. Are you were running out of time so I'm going to start getting somebody these quicker to you. Peter said in first Peter 1316 not fashion yourselves according to the former lost in your ignorance and your ignorance when you didn't know any better you fashion yourself according to the world. But as you which has, as he which has called you is holy, then be holy, so we say and do not fashion yourselves like the world's breaks, but be transformed. Now what the word transform you all know this well you heard it preached in the years by brother Hardy, myself and other people metamorphosis you even learned it in high school science. When you learn about the caterpillar turning into a butterfly. It went through a metamorphosis meta-after Morse form after form, meaning a change from one form to another and always and generally most always takes place from the inside out. Amen from the inside out. And so it's the innermost part of our nature. He says being you transformed now. How is that going to happen. The best scriptures I can give you for that. After Romans 12 wanted to give you the references. Ephesians 422 through 24 and Colossians 39 through 10. These are some of my favorite verses, Paul talks about putting off the old man that's corrupt. According to the deceitful lost and being renewed in the spirit of your mind putting on the new man that's created after him and true holiness. In true righteousness. There is a bridge if you notice there is a bridge between putting off the old and putting on the new how many heard that bridge how they didn't get it, no hands went up either time. You don't have to be afraid. I am not going to make the foolish okay let me say the Scripture again, putting off the old man that's corrupt. According to the deceitful lost being renewed in the spirit of your mind putting on the new man is created after him and true holiness and righteousness.

What is the bridge now rated the sermon for a better illustration hinges on you being renewed in the spirit of your mind CS Lewis have some of her to him. He said the difference between worldliness and godliness is a renewed mind see some people say stopping so worldly stopping so worldly I would get away for being willing to work it to be so worldly site to be more godly. There be more spiritual hunger and thirst after righteousness communicating God's word. I want to meditate on Scripture. You can try all the time not to be so worldly. Not be so carnal not to be caught up in all that and it's not good to change, you gotta get your mind renewed and let me while I'm not saying to you. It's important in the Greek it's in the present and why do I care about that because it means it's habitual meat is perpetual and means you're always every day all the time being renewed in the spirit that is the way to prevent yourself from becoming a brick and to become a holy stone, a worldly break, a holy stone.

What's the bridge being renewed in the spirit of your mind. Amen. And that's the thing, and when I am my own personal life see that I need you know I'm on start to get more distracted. I'll use that word more distracted by the things of the world that I know I can't get renewed in the spirit of my mind and I read my Bible every day, but I know then I need to get in there and really meditate on Scripture and I will even go one day you know, getting parts of Scripture to start to memorize them to meditate on them. Even though I already know them can tell you what they mean. But I've got to keep my mind renewed. Amen. Because I want to be a holy stone in the house of God.

So the last one.

I'll give you for referral.

Second Corinthians 6 chapter and you all know this so well he says you know you know not unequally yoked with unbelievers. Amen.

This is what agreement has not God with idols.

So we already established from the get go that we are living stones in the temple of God. That was the first Scripture we read and he says that what agreement do you have with the world. I will read it all, but he goes on to say that you are the temple of the living God.

As God has said, I will dwell and then I will walk in them. I will be there God, they shall be my people. Verse 17 what saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you, so I'm hurrying along God is saying I want to dwell in you, but I'm only going to dwelling you if you're living stone.

If you're a holy stone we saw God would have nothing to do with an offer brick. We saw that God said sacrifices made an offer. Brick was a stench in his notes. So if we want God to dwell in us and we want to be the temple of the living God. Amen. And if you look up the Greek word, it doesn't just mean that counterparty means the inner part, the holy of holies we want to be that we've got to be a holy stone. We got to be a living stone, and we got to come out from amongst the infidels in the darkness and the idol worshipers. So I'm asking you tonight. Right now, are you a brick or are you a stone, he was say on the stone.

Let me tell you something about stones and how their created, how many had never heard of Pebble Beach, California. Famous place tourists come from all over to go to Pebble Beach, California. I've never been there. I've never been to California but I have heard about it and they come therefrom everywhere, even not even outside of America.

Tourists come because strewn on the sands of Pebble Beach, California. Are these beautiful beautiful stones. There many shapes and sizes, but they're all smooth and polished and beautiful and round in nature did this. How did this occur, it's because of the surf of the ocean. The thundering the Rory that being the being of the surf of the ocean relentlessly night and day against the jagged cliffs along the shore hits those broken pieces break off and there's no mercy when that surf comes in the pics of stone company throw them up in air in a fall down and a class against one another and a good wind against one another and this goes on and on, but the result of it. Are these beautiful round polished stones that people come from all around to gather those stones. It's the friction it's the grinding it's the beating the exposure to the winds and the waves and the elements that causes those stones to be so beautiful you can go up the coast a little way and there's a very beautiful quiet cove. It's peaceful. It's still it's quiet it's protected from the surf. It's protected from storms and the sun is always shining on it. Sands are also strong with stones and pebbles but nobody wants him and nobody goes there to collect them because there jagged and their rough their ugly there devoid of all beauty see they were in a peaceful quiet place, but it's the friction it's the winds it's the storms it's the things that come against us in life that make us a polished stone if you want something polished you would have to add pressure to it. Amen thank God wants to make us his living stones. Amen.

And so in your life you are going to have pressures. Jesus said get ready if the world hated me. It's going well with you. But since you're not going to because I show you the world worldly break doing our best because you are living stone in the temple of God and God's house is beautiful and God stones are beautiful and the things that come against us in life and get ready. There's going to be more persecution, Jesus, but I hate you and you and persecute you, and the newer we get to the coming of the Lord, the worse it's going to be it's going to get ramped up it's gonna be a whole lot worse. Amen.

But Jesus said, rejoice, because great is your reward in heaven. Amen God is making you and me living stones, but we are going to have to sometimes sit still under the pressure. Amen. And when things come against us were going have to see the bigger picture and know that God is making something beautiful out of us. He is beautifying us.

Amen. I want to close with this last verse you know it well. Matthew 16 and 18 and Jesus and the disciples were up near Caesarea and Jesus called the disciples around him and he said I want to ask you guys something. I want you to tell me all the people say that I am and they said, well, some say that your Elijah.

Some say that your Jeremiah. Some say that you're that prophet that refers to the prophet that Moses said would come and Jesus said okay but whom do you say that I am. And Peter said, thou art the Christ, thou art the Messiah, the son of the living God and Jesus said wow flesh and blood has not revealed this unto you, but my father in heaven. And I also say unto you, and so is very important because Jesus is someone a parallel with God is making himself equal with his father and my father said this, he revealed this to you so I'm going to reveal something to you. You are Peter. He probably said you are.

Keep this because Jesus spoke Aramaic and what does that mean it means a stone. You are a stone.

The Greek words Trust and it's a masculine noun. We don't have nothing feminine in English, but they doing Greek at the masculine noun Trust as stone a chip off of a big huge rock that's what you are Peter Uris stone. We start off quoting tonight.

Peter said your living stones and why did he say that because Jesus said, Peter Uris stone your stone your stone so you Matthew and so are you, James and John and Bartholomew you're all stones but I say unto you, that upon all run down and meet you inside the rock shall be sharks. They shall be sharks like get all shall not prevail against it didn't say upon Peter build my church. Peter is not big enough you can build a church on one stone you, Peter, is that upon this rock upon this confession upon this foundational truth, it all boils down to this. I am the Christ, the son of God upon this truth upon this declaration upon this session I will build the church, stone how many got your stone will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it when they come against it absolutely will I come against all way will be in a battle that bondage not pray tell us so stone you make the house of God and you're not spending all by yourself.

You're on the foundation that no other foundation can be like the third chapter, but that which is also laid, which is Christ Jesus. Remember we read we started. He's the chief stone of the foundation and you and I are still amen.

What an intriguing and eye-opening message.

Are you a brick or a stone. Perhaps you think a brick because they are used to build strong buildings. The first brick maker in recorded history was Nimrod great grandson of Noah, his name meant. I said get down and he was the brick bully of Babel in rebellion against God. He hunted men to be his slaves to make bricks to build his kingdom, and the infamous Tower of Babel to reach into the heavens until God intervened and disunited the people by confounding their languages and thereby scattering them abroad on the earth no later God delivered the seed of Abraham out of Egypt bondage where Pharaoh had enslaved them to make bricks to build his monuments, but when God gave Moses his blueprint for worship in the wilderness he commanded that his altars were not to be of man-made bricks, but of unhewn stones you see man makes bricks but God makes stones unique and unspoiled by the world bricks are all alike cast into the same mode and today the world is casting people in the mode and spirit of Nimrod, a spirit of rebellion against God and his word. Nimrod was the first prototype of what the antichrist will be and we see his spirit already at work, John said in his epistle, the apostle Paul declared in Romans 12 to be not conformed to this world. Don't let the world put you in it smoke and make you one of its bricks and apostle Peter said you were living stones built up as a holy habitation for God. Ask yourself, am I a worldly brick or a holy stone.

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